Rescuing a Chinese Elm Bonsai Tree

In this Bonsai video I am rescuing and styling a Chinese Elm Bonsai Tree. This Bonsai has a special place in my heart as it once belonged to my grandmother which was then passed down to me. When this Bonsai tree was ordered, it was growing in dense compost that retained far too much moisture. The tree was already in poor health and needed urgent attention, so I repotted it into a free-draining Bonsai soil mix to help the roots recover. What I did not realise at the time was that the previous waterlogged conditions had already caused rot at the base of the trunk. As the rot gradually began to spread upwards, I then decided to air layer the tree above the rot to rescue it. This allowed me to remove the decaying base and begin developing a new Nebari that the new shorter Bonsai is built on. After two years in a pond basket, the tree is now energy positive and producing plenty of healthy foliage! Now it is time to do some design work and setting the tree up to become a great bonsai! Throughout the video, I demonstrate several Bonsai techniques, including pruning for ramification, identifying and removing problem branches that could cause inverse taper and performing a thread graft to create a new branch in an area where one is currently missing. The work in this video helps set the foundation for it to become a much more refined and convincing Bonsai in the future! Notion Bonsai Socials: 🛒Notion Bonsai Store➡️ https://www.notionbonsai.com 📖The Happy Bonsai Handbook➡️ https://shorturl.at/gUhqk 📸 Instagram: https➡️ //www.instagram.com/notionbonsai 📘 Facebook: https➡️ //www.facebook.com/notionbonsai 🎵 TikTok: https➡️ //www.tiktok.com/@notionbonsai TIMECODES: 00:00 - Intro. 00:33 - About The Chinese Elm Bonsai Tree. 02:28 - The Bonsai Tools Used. 03:15 - Approaching an Overgrown Bonsai Tree. 04:13 - What is Ramification in Bonsai? 05:59 - Pruning and Shaping Chinese Elm Bonsai. 09:27 - How to Take Chinese Elm Bonsai Cuttings. 11:30 - Refining Pads In Chinese Elm Bonsai. 12:22 - Wiring Chinese Elm Bonsai Trees. 15:22 - Dealing with Inverse Taper in Chinese Elm Bonsai. 16:49 - How To Thread Graft a Chinese Elm Bonsai. 25:29 - Pruning the Apex of a Chinese Elm Bonsai. 28:29 - Beauty Shots. 29:14 - Outro. #bonsai #bonsaitree #notionbonsai #bonsaiart #beginnerbonsai